Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Sanctions

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information sharing agreements her Department has with authorities in the (a) US and (b) EU on sanction designations for (i) human rights abuses and (ii) corruption.

Vicky Ford: The UK does not have formal information-sharing agreements with the US and EU but holds regular discussions with these and other partners to cooperate and coordinate on sanctions to ensure their maximum impact. This includes sharing evidence with partners to support joint designations where possible.

Ministry of Defence

Ukraine: Military Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to send further (a) M270 launchers and (b) Nlaw Next Generation Light Anti-Tank weapons for the Ukrainian military.

James Heappey: For reasons of operational security we cannot comment on options for future gifting to Ukraine. We continue to liaise closely with the Armed Forces of Ukraine to help meet their requirements.

Ukraine: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has engaged in recent talks with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe on supporting the return of the mandate for the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

James Heappey: The UK has long been a strong supporter of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine - politically, financially and through providing a large number of qualified personnel, including one of the Deputy Chief Monitors of the Mission. The UK Government condemned Russia's decision in March to block the renewal of the mission's mandate, which will lead to its full closure by 31 October 2022. As renewing the mandate requires consensus from all 57 participating OSCE States, including Russia, there is unfortunately no prospect of doing so under the current circumstances.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the UK's CBRN resilience.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence takes the threat of a CBRN-based incident very seriously and will continue to be robust in our efforts to counter and prevent this. The Department routinely monitors the CBRN threat through our security partners which informs our resilience capability. The MOD's ability to respond to a CBRN incident is regularly tested as part of a routine and regular exercise programme. This is in support of the Home Office which oversees the response of our emergency services, including police and ambulance personnel.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a full breakdown of the £2.3 billion in UK military aid to Ukraine.

James Heappey: The Department provides details of specific measures of support to Ukraine, when appropriate to do so. However, due to the ongoing nature of the conflict and for reasons of operational security, it would be inappropriate to release a full breakdown of the military aid provided to Ukraine at this stage.

NATO Innovation Fund

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2022 to Question 37443 on NATO Innovation Fund, how the UK’s contribution to the NATO Innovation Fund is calculated; and how much the UK will contribute to it in each year until 2025.

James Heappey: The UK's contribution to the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) is based on a funding split, with part of the costs split on an equal share between all partners and another proportionate to GDP, like the existing common funding model. The exact contribution to the fund out to 2025 is still being settled but the UK is likely to contribute c£10 million per year.

USA: Military Alliances

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the US National Defense Strategy 2022, what steps his Department is taking to work jointly with the US Defense Department, including on coordinating cyberspace strategies.

James Heappey: The US is our principal defence and security partner, and we remain committed to working with them to deliver on our common interests of maintaining international peace and security. We have regularly engaged with the US Defense Department during the development of its 2022 National Defense Strategy and look forward to working with them on its implementation when it is published, including deepening our unique partnership on advanced and innovative capabilities such as cyber. Our strategies reflect a shared commitment to working in partnership and we work closely on delivery of our cyber strategies through bilateral and multilateral forums as well as benefiting from well-established links between operational and policy communities.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have been involved in Operation Isotrope.

James Heappey: Operation ISOTROPE has involved contributions from the Royal Navy of up to one River Class Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), six P2000 Archer Class fast inshore patrol craft, and three rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs). No vessels from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary have been involved.

F-35 Aircraft: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of when his Department will be able to deploy two operational squadrons of F-35s.

James Heappey: 809 Naval Air Squadron is due to stand up in quarter two of 2023. Full Operating Capability for the Lightning Force is expected in 2025 at which point the Lightning Force will be able to operationally deploy both squadrons concurrently.

F-35 Aircraft: Accidents

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to replace the F-35 jet that fell into the Mediterranean Sea in November 2021.

James Heappey: A replacement for the lost F-35B, BK-18, has been included in the recently announced procurement of additional UK F-35B Lightning.

F-35 Aircraft: Accidents

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in the context of the crash of an F-35 jet into the Mediterranean Sea in November 2021, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that no accidental loss of aircraft from aircraft carriers occurs in future.

James Heappey: Safety remains of paramount importance in all military flying, including operations from aircraft carriers. The Service Inquiry (SI) into the loss of F-35B ZM152 on 17 November 2021 is on-going, with an interim report into the likely cause of the accident published on 8 September 2022. The SI panel continue to work to identify any relevant lessons and will make recommendations to help prevent reoccurrence.

Typhoon Aircraft

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many serving RAF pilots are qualified to fly the Typhoon to Quick Reaction Alert standard as of 6 September 2022.

James Heappey: All UK national pilots who have graduated from the UK Typhoon Operational Conversion Unit and hold up to date flying currency, are qualified for the Quick Reaction Alert role.

Afghanistan: Al Qaeda

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of threat to UK security interests in Afghanistan posed by Al Qaeda activity in that country.

James Heappey: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 28 May 2022 to Question 4479.4479 - Afghanistan Radicalism (docx, 19.7KB)

RAF Coningsby: Typhoon Aircraft

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any training schedules were (a) adjusted, (b) cancelled and (c) lowered in intensity to facilitate the Prime Minister’s flight in an RAF Typhoon.

James Heappey: The then Prime Minister's flight on 14 July 2022 was integrated into RAF Coningsby's routine training programme and there was no requirement to alter training schedules to accommodate it.

Air Force: Photographs and Social Media

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there are any restrictions on Royal Air Force pilots (a) filming videos and taking photographs in the cockpit of RAF Typhoons and (b) publishing those images on social media.

James Heappey: Typhoon pilots may only film in the cockpit with prior permission of their chain of command in accordance with security policy and on the basis that flight safety will not be compromised. Subject to authorisation, images may only be placed on social media if they do not compromise operational security or the personal security of individuals.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2022 to Question 4476 on Afghanistan: Refugees, whether any further data breaches of personal data relating to Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy applicants have occurred since May 2022.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2022 to Question 4476 on Afghanistan: Refugees, whether any further data breaches of personal data relating to Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy applicants have occurred since May 2022.

James Heappey: Since May 2022, there have been no known data breaches of personal data relating to ARAP applicants.

Navy: South China Sea

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to send the HMS Queen Elizabeth and associated task group on a further exercise in the South China sea.

James Heappey: The Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper detail the importance of the Indo-Pacific region to the UK and the growing tensions around maritime chokepoints, including the South China Sea. Strengthening our defence cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners to tackle shared security challenges and mitigate growing threats is a key defence aim. HMS Queen Elizabeth and her associated task group provides a platform vital to the delivery of the Government's defence priorities.As set out in the Defence Command Paper, the Royal Navy will be increasing its global presence on a constant and enduring basis, contributing to regional security and assurance, including the protection of shipping lanes and freedom of navigation, and the championing of international rules.With support from partners in the Indo-Pacific, Offshore Patrol Vessels are now persistently deployed and a Littoral Response Group in 2023 will complement the episodic deployment of our Carrier Strike Group. However, the Ministry of Defence does not routinely comment on future operational deployments.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve fleet management capabilities for cavalry regiments.

James Heappey: The Army are enhancing their planning activity to ensure that operational, training, unit and sustainment fleets are correctly balanced, providing sufficient capacity against the demand across all regiments.

Military Exercises

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason regular and annual battlegroup training exercises have ceased; and if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing such exercises.

James Heappey: Regular and annual Battlegroup training exercises have not ceased. There have been a number of Battlegroup level exercises this year, including Exercise Iron Storm, which concluded in July. The exercise provided the 1 Mercian Battlegroup an opportunity to come together and train in a combined arms environment.The Army has a substantial and sophisticated exercise programme in place to ensure that it is trained and ready to operate at the Battlegroup level. This includes training with Allies and partners.

16 Air Assault Brigade: Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of continuing the use of the FV107 Scimitar by 16th Air Assault Brigade.

James Heappey: 16 Air Assault Brigade do not have FV107 Scimitar as a brigade.